US2645062A

US2645062A - Gas pressure regulator

Info

Publication number: US2645062A
Application number: US122113A
Authority: US
Inventors: John S Senesky
Original assignee: Air Reduction Co Inc
Current assignee: Airco Inc
Priority date: 1949-10-18
Filing date: 1949-10-18
Publication date: 1953-07-14
Anticipated expiration: 1970-07-14

Description

July 14, 1953. J. s. SENESKY 2,645,052

GAS PRESSURE REGULATOR Filed Oct. 18, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IFIG.|

INVENTOR JOHN s. SENESKY BY f 629mg 2: kQWW,

ATTORNEYS July 14, 1953 J. s. SENESKY 2,645,062

v GAS PRESSURE REGULATOR Filed Oct. 18, 1949 2 shts-sneu 2 F l/Al A JIM Patented July 14, 1953 I l I 2,645,062

H :G'ASQBBVES'SURE neaum'ron John s; S'nesky; SbmervilleyNi 1:, assigno'r't'o Ain Reduction: Company," Incorporated; New-- York, ,Ni. Y.,, a corporationxot' New York Application. October 18, 194e,,ssriamo. 1 2"2';11a'

This invention relates togas pressure regula-- tors of the type in which a diaphragm exposedat one side to the outlet pressure-of the gas controls' a val'vewhich regulates the-flow of gas from the inlet side of the regulator to: the; outlet side in such a Way asto m'aintain theoutlettpressure: of the gas at a. substantially constant predetermined value.

The principal object. oft-he inventionis to. provide' a gasv pressure regulator of this-type which is very simple inconstructionyet. highlyefficient inoperation, and whichmay beeasily and quickly dismantled to permit the valve mechanism to be inspected andrepairedli. I

A gas pressure regulator embodying the invention is illustrated inthe accompanying-drawings, in which? Figure l is a longitudinal section'through thepressureregula-tor taken approximatel'yalong. the line I-'l of'Fig. 3;

Fig; 2 isa partial longitudinal sectionthrough the regulator taken. approximately on.- the line 2-2 of Fig. 3; and I Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the regulator.

partially broken away incertain. places.

The pressure regulator. shown. in the drawings.

has a body. portion I01. adiaphragm. I t (Fig. 1-);

3 Claims. (01. 50-2-3) preferably-made of. rubber, and az-bonnet. |-2 which screws. into. the. body 1 Hi. andclamps the: diaphragm. The diaphragmt I; has. a-ringl 3. bondedto. its periphery whichmaintains the'shape of the diaphragm. andinsures: that his gripped en: tirely around itscircumference by the bonnet. [-2. A. coil, spring Hiwithin the bonnet bears against adiaphragm plate tithat is. bonded-to. the: diaphragm' H at its center portion. The plate i5- is of: such size thatronly arelatively small annular regionoi the diaphragm. is left; without a backing,

and thisportion. oi" the diaphragmlis-adaptedto iiex and thereby permit movementof the diaphragm.

The valve mechanism ofthe pressure-regulator iscontained in: acap !6 having an externally threaded plug portion which is received by an.

internally threaded. recess Ihirrunderside of; the=regulator body. The plugportionof the cap it; has an inwardly projeetingannular extension is. which is. adapted to bear. against the.- periphery of a removable valve seatdiso'iilr and; compress;

it against a shoulder 2a in the bottom of. therecess 8. The valve seat. disclfli-may; bemade- 0t hardlrubber compositionor any; other suitable material. A. valve stem- 22 issguidedin a drillingi 23. in. the. capit, and isurged axially upwardby means of a coil spring 24contained' in a chamber 25 formedfin the cap within'the' annular extensioni l9. Thelspring 2-4. bears against the underside of'an enlarged portionzii" of the valvestem which constitutes the. movable valve element proper. This valve element has a substantially spherical" surface convexed" toward a' central openihg'zfin the valve seat: disc" 20 and adapted to close this opening when the valve element is pressedagainst the seat" disc by the pressure of mg 35"(Fig, 2.) team annular chamber 36 which is formed. in the recess. [8 when the cap I16 is in place.

thev'alve'. seat. disc rcgi'sters'with a passage 38 and meters the gas releasedifrom the high pressure chamber iiwhich then flows through the passage 38 toa. chamber 3.9"fbrmed by intersecting 'drillings 4 0 I and 41 (Figs; 1' and 31) in. the bosses 29 and 321, respectively. The passage 46 leads to an outlet. connection (Figs. 1 and 3) through which gas. may, be withdrawn from; the regulator asdesired; passage 41. communicates with an opening 4'3. in'the stem of a pressure gauge 4'4 which indicates the pressure ofthe. gas delivered by theregulat'or. The gas'inlet pressure is indicat'edby a gauge 45" (Figs- 2 and 3) the stem of which has anopeni'ng 46 which communicates with a passage 4T'anda drilling 48' (Fig. 2'). leading, to the. annular chamber 36- which contains high pressureiinlet' gas.

Thel'ow pressure gas in chamber 39 has access to a chamber 49 under. thediaphragm I I through The underside of thecliaphragmis therefore exposedito the delivery pressure of the regulator. The gas pressure on the underside of the diaphragm acts. in opposition to the coil spring [4 whose loading. effect on.v the diaphragm can be varied by turning a handle 51 in a well known manner.

The valve stemZZhas an extension 52- projecting; upwardly beyond thev valve element 25, through the central opening, 2.1- in the valve seat disc. and. through thegas passage 38; into contact with the. undersideof av boss 53 (Fig. 1) on the diaphragm ..plate 1.5. Thisboss projects through a central opening in the diaphragm. The extension 52 of'theivalvest em is guided in an opening 54 in" the regulator body which is in alignment Rl'adialdrillings 3'1."(Figs. l and 2) in the annular extensionl'dbn; the cap admit the gas to the chamber 25. Thecentral' opening 21 in 3 with the drilling 23 that guides the lower end of the valve stem to thereby maintain the valve element 26 in proper alignment with the valve seat disc 20.

The pressure regulator operates in the usual way to maintain a substantially constant predetermined outlet gas pressure depending upon the adjustment of the loading spring Hi. Whenever consumption of gas delivered by the regulator causes a reduction in pressure in the chamber 39 at the outlet side of the regulator, this is felt at the underside of the diaphragm I l which is then moved downwardly by the loading spring 54. This exerts pressure on the valve stem extension 52 and opens the valve element 25 thus admitting more gas from the high pressure annular chamber 36 to the chamber 39 until enough pressure is built up under the diaphragm to restore it to its normal position and permit the valve element 26 to be closed by its spring 24.

The pressure regulator may be provided with a safety valve denoted in general by the reference numeral 55 (Fi 3) to prevent overloading the diaphragm H with excessive gas pressure. It has a valve stem 56 at the inner end of which there is a piston-like portion 51 provided at its underside with a disc 58 of hard rubber composition or other suitable material constituting a valve element. The piston-like portion 51 of the valve slides in a recess 59 formed in the boss 3i on the regulator body. The valve element 58 cooperates with an annular lip 60 in the bottom of the recess 59. This lip constitutes the valve seat. A cross drilling 6| extends from the chamber 39 at the delivery side of the regulator to the underside of the valve element 58. The upper end of the valve stem 56 is guided in an opening 62 in a cap 63 which is screwed onto the boss 3!. A coil spring 64 is coaxial with and surrounds the valve stem 58 and bears atits inner and against the piston-like portion 51 of the valve and at its outer end against the end wall of the cap 63 andthus yieldingly retains the valve element in seated position. Excessive gas pressure in the chamber 39 opens the valve element 58 against the force of the spring 64 and permits gas to escape past the valve element and through exhaust ports 65 in the cap 63 to the atmosphere until the excess pressure in the chamber 38 is relieved. Since the end of the valve stem 58 projects out of the opening 62 in the cap 63 when the safety valve is open this gives a visual warning of the excessive gas pressure on the diaphragm. Such excessive pressure might occur when the gas delivery line is shut off, if there should happen to be leakage of gas past the main valve element 26 of the regulator into the chamber 39. This would cause the gas pressure in the chamber 49 under the diaphragm to continue to build up until relieved either by venting of the gas delivery line or by operation of the safety valve which opens at some predetermined safe pressure.

A screen filter 66 is preferably fitted over the cylindrical extension IS on the cap [6 to filter the gas before it passes the valve element 26 of the regulator.

A gas tight seal for the cap I6 is provided by an O-ring gasket 61 (Figs. 1 and 2) seated in an annular recess 68 in the cap. When the cap is screwed into the body portion of the regulator the o-ring gasket is compressed between the side walls of this recess and the side walls 68 of the recess which receives the plug portion of the cap thereby creating a gas tight seal which prevents the escape of gas from the regulator past the cap to the atmosphere. The O-ring gasket, thus positioned between parallel cylindrical walls on the regulator body and the cap which move relatively in parallel relation when the cap is screwed in place, is an important feature of the invention because it permits the cap It; to be screwed on the regulator body far enough for the annular extension [9 on the plug portion of the cap to press the valve seat disc 20 firmly in its recess 2| thereby preventing the flow of gas past the valve seat disc except through its central opening 21. Thus, additional nuts or clamping screws are not needed to retain the valve seat disc in place as in other pressure regulators. It is obvious that if the inward movement of the cap 16 were limited by using a sealing gasket for the cap of the kind usually employed in place of the O-ring gasket 61, the required compression of the valve seat disc 20 by the extension I9 on the plug portion of the cap might not be possible, but the use of the O-ring gasket makes possible not only an effective gas tight seal for the cap itself but also for the valve seat disc.

By removing the cap I6 the valve mechanism of the regulator is made accessible for inspection, cleaning, or repair. The screen filter 66 is also easily accessible for replacement or cleaning when it becomes clogged, since it is carried by a portion of the cap and is removed with the cap when the cap is removed and it is then only necessary to slip the screen on or off the cylindrical extension IS on the plug portion of the cap. Moreover, the mounting of the screen filter on the cylindrical extension I9 of the cap locates it as close as possible to the valve seat and this is advantageous since any metal burs or other foreign matter that may be present in the regulator body itself upon assembly and not visible to inspection are prevented from passing to the valve seat when the pressure regulator is put in use.

I claim:

1. In a gas pressure regulator having a body portion provided with a gas inlet and a gas outlet, a valve controlling the flow of gas from the inlet to the outlet, and a diaphragm exposed on one side to the outlet gas pressure for controlling said valve, the combination therewith of a removable cap a portion of which has threaded engagement with a portion of the regulator body, a valve stem constituting part of the valve and having one portion which is guided in said cap and a second portion which is guided in the regulator body, a valve seat disc having a central opening controlled by said valve and through which said second portion of the valve stem projects, an annular valve seat positioning member disposed between the valve seat member and the threaded portion of the cap which engages the said valve seat disc adjacent its periphery and presses it against a surface of the regulator body when the cap is screwed in place to thereby effect a fluid tight seal between the valve seat disk and the regulator body, and a gasket providing a gas tight seal for said cap, the regulator body and the cap having parallel cylindrical walls which move relatively in parallel relation when the cap is screwed in place and which form an annular space in which said gasket is located.

2. A gas pressure regulator in accordance with claim 1 in which said annular valve seat positioning member is provided with radial ports to admit gas to its interior for passage through the central opening of the valve seat disc, and means for admitting gas from the regulator inlet to the space surrounding said annular valve seat positioning member.

3. A gas pressure regulator in accordance with claim 1 having a cylindrical screen filter fitted on said annular valve seat positioning member to filter the gas passing through its radial ports.

JOHN S. SENESKY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Fulton Sept. 8, 1903 Albrecht July 12, 1927 Home Sept. 13, 1932 Wiedhofit June 18, 1-935 Ferguson Nov. 3, 1942 Hoof Sept. 12, 1944 Field Sept. 30,1947